The present invention relates to a shade for pontoons, and more particularly relates to an extender that can be attached to an existing bimini for extending its shaded area, and further that can be easily removed and stored in a compact arrangement.
Pontoon boats often include biminis (which are essentially collapsible umbrella-like shading) for partial shading of the boat's deck (e.g., about a rear third of the deck). Typically, the biminis include a tubular framework and a canvas cover that can be pivotally moved to a collapsed rearward position, such as on cloudy days when it is not necessary to have the bimini extended. However, a problem is that two-thirds of the deck remains uncovered and open to the sun, which can be extremely hot and unappealing to pontoon passengers. Thus, it is not uncommon for only a rear portion of many pontoon boats to be used on hot days, if at all.
Notably, making an existing bimini larger does not solve the problem, for several reasons. First, biminis can act like a sail, catching wind and interfering with operation of the boat. Further, large biminis can be aesthetically unattractive and further can be massive and expensive, both of which are undesirable. Still further, countless existing pontoon boats have biminis that only cover about a third of the pontoon's deck area. It is not possible to simply enlarge an existing bimini without substantial modification to the existing boat, including the purchase and design of the support structure and cover to be added.
Another problem concerns attaching bimini-supporting framework to a pontoon boat. Many pontoon owners are not skilled installers and/or do not like drilling holes and permanently attaching brackets/framework to their boats. Some find the process of folding (or erecting) the bimini framework to be confusing or at least not intuitive to them, especially when a tool is required. Further, over time, the bimini framework can become damaged, making it difficult to fold and/or erect . . . as well as becoming unsightly.